Save Creve Coeur Park

I attended an open house last Monday where opponents of the ridiculous new development in the Howard Bend floodplain presented their opposition to the project. The open house featured great exhibits on why we don't need more sprawl in the Maryland Heights area, and by default--since the region fits together like a jigsaw puzzle--eastern Chesterfield as well. I was shocked to learn that Westport Plaza, already generating income for Maryland Heights, has some serious vacancy issues. Even more bizarrely, many of the proposed tenants of Howard Bend development already reside in Maryland Heights--so the city is already getting their tax dollars.

I know the reason: the Cult of the New, as I call it. Maryland Heights is terrified that companies and the general public have adopted a throwaway mentality for buildings, and not just fast food wrappers. Ten years old? Time to move on and discard the old.

View the group's website at Save Creve Coeur. Here is Maryland Heights's page on their project, and watch out for MoDot's unfunded plans for more sprawl connectors going through floodplains. Luckily, there's no money for the new roads.

Valley Park Historic Storefront Update?

The Post-Dispatch published an article on Sunday about Valley Park trying to redefine itself as an historic, attractive community. However, it is so poorly written I can't tell if the status of the Donahue's building is still up in the air or not.

Valley Park: Epicenter of Historic Preservation?

I just read in the Suburban Journals that the mayor of Valley Park is actually working to save an historic building in his city from the expansion of Carol House Furniture. Read the article here. After the complete demolition of historic Ballwin for "Olde Towne Ballwin Center," I had been fearing for the eventual loss of most of the historic, semi-rural fabric of West County. Let's hope they're successful in stopping the demolition of Donahue's.